Car-axle box



(No Model.) H. STILL.

'GAR AXLB BOX.

Patented Nov. 30, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY STILL, OF BELOIT, KANSAS.

CAR-AXLE B OX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 353,647l dated November30, 1886.

Application filed February l, 1886. Serial No. 190,418. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY STILL, a citizen of the United States,residing in Beloit, in the county of Mitchell and State of Kansas, haveinvented a new and useful Axle-Box for Railway-Cars, of which thefollowing is a specication.

My invention relates to improvements in the ordinary axle-box of carsnow in use, and is intended as a remedy for hot boxes. I am aware thatthere are devices constructed to attain the same end, but withoutsuccess., as indicated by general railway experience. By my improvementsis prevented the great destruction of cotton waste, or other materialholding the lubricant in store. This destruc tion is mainly caused bythe front end of the journal through the lateral or side motions of thecar impacting the waste against the front end and cap of the box,destroying its resiliency and capillarity, and thereby depriving therear end of the journal of the means of lubrication. This is the chiefcause of hot boxes upon trains. My improvements will reduce theliability of hot boxes to a minimum point by keeping a full supply oflubricant upon the entire length of the journal. They also -make thelubricant available in any temperature, and carry it to the journal freefrom dust, grit, or other impurities. These improvements are very simplein construction, with little liability to become defective or to get ontof order, easily repaired when in such condition, and easilyreplenished, effective, and inexpensive, both in first cost and inrequired supplies, permitting but slight, if any, waste of lubricant,which in the boxes now in use is a great loss. I attain these and otherbeneiicial results by the mechanism illustrated in the drawingsaccompanying this instrunient, and which, in brief, consists of twovlateral oilchambers cast in the upper lialf of a car-axle box upon eachside of the journal, connecting such oil-chambers with a lower oilcellarsituated under the journal, as in the common box, by means of waste orwick in such a manner as to conduct the lubricant along the whole lengthof the under side of the journal.

Figure 1 is an isometrical view of my invention, showing the front end,the right side, and the top of the box with the journal and journal-bearing in position, the front door, and the lid or cap oftheright-hand oil-chamber partially open. Fig. 2 isa vertical sectionalvlew upon line 8 3, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a full sectional View of thepartition on line 4 4', which forms the inner wall of lateraloil-chamber B, and lateral wall of journalspace D, as well as lateralwall of oil-cellar C. Fig. 4 is the upper side of the cap or lidcovering the opening to lateral oil-chamber B, and Fig. 5 is the underside of the same cap. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of front door withits lock=bar a and projecting ends a a. Fig. 7 is aperspective view ofthe finger-bar or plate which supports the material conveying lubricantto the journal.

Similar letters refer to similar parts of the box throughout the severaldrawings, and the description of one of the lateral oil-chambers appliesto both.

The box (perhaps more correctly called the car-axle guard) is attachedto the truckframe by any of the ordinary methods, and should be castentire, save the openings described and the rear opening for enteringthe journal, its length about one inch more than that of the journal andthe journal-space barely wide enough to accommodate tliejournal-bearino'.

t is the lateral oil-chamber. Through the inner wall of this chamber isaperture S, made flush with the bottom of said chamber B, and in lengthto conform with the length of the journal-bearing, allowing a trifle forthe play of the journal. Through aperture S passes the linger-bar N,which finger-bar 1s fastened at one edge by bolts or rivets to thebottom of the oil-chamber B, having rubber or other packing beneath itto prevent the escape of oil through aperture S on the under side of thenger-bar. Fingerbar N is made oi steel or other elastic metal, with thefingers adjusted to t the arc of the journal. I prefer to have theiingers made in this form, for by it is obtained the proper degree ofelasticity to hold the wick pliantly against the journal, allowing afree circulation of the lubricant when the journal is not in motion, andthere- ICO e Y esseri can pass from chamber B into cellar C, exceptthrough wick r over finger-bar N, and must in the passage come incontact with the journal. rlhe finger-bar is made of any thicknessv thatwill not interfere with its elasticity.l Y

VVO'is a lid or cap covering the opening in oil-chamber B, through whichopening re` pairs of iingerbar are made and lubricants supplied to thechamber. It is made of any desired thickness, its rear edge square' withthe face, with lug z' projecting from its under surface and extendingbeyond the rear edge, n, so as -to follow in slot H. The front edge,

m, is also square with the face, with lug 7c open,A

its under surface extending downward sufficiently to clasp a rib orlprojection upon the front inner end of the chamber B. The cap is heldin place, when closed, by the lugs i lc dropping behind the catches c c.'Ihese caps are placed in position upon the box before the same isfastened to the truck-frame, and cannot be removed while the frame isintact, because of the covering of the slot p by the bar supporting thetruck frame, through which the lug i is entered.l I prefer to constructthese openings sloping at about an angle of twenty degrees, instead ofhorizontally yor perpendicularly, the better to enable Workmen to reachthe bottom of the chamber for repairs. To open this cap it is necessary,first, to release lugs and k from catches c c by a perpendicularmovement, then forcing the lug t into groove H by a lateral and forwardmovement. The door P, covering opening in front end of the centralportion of the box, is constructed with grooves u u upon its verticaledges, which vgrooves follow in beveled edges to correspondvcast in theface-plate of the front end. Upon the back side of the door l? issecured by bolts or rivets the stoprod a, with shouldered ends a a. 'Iheshouldered ends slide upon the inner face of said front plate ordoor-jamb, and are intercepted, when raising the door, by loop G,whereby a hinge is formed by which the door will fall back into ahorizontal position upon the top of the box, and which will hold thedoor to Vthe box, preventing its removal so long as the bar a andshouldered ends a a remain perfect. The bar may be attached to anydesired part of the doorplate. I prefer it at or -near the bottom,whereby a free access may be had to the gib and journal for replacingjournal-bearings, &c.

Io put the door I in place, the rod a' is first put Within the jamb;then the door is inserted so that the door may `recline, else thecorresponding face of the chamfer in the jamb would prevent suchmovement. Over such space I construct lip v v upon the door-face to keepout dust, water, &c., and to be a ready guide in returning the door toits place from a horizontal position. The combined dimensions of thelateral oil-chambers must not exceed in holding capacity that of thecellar C, else there might be a waste of oil.

i The operation of my' invention may be understood from the foregoing,yet it will perhaps be well to say that a supply of oil being placed inchambers B B, it is by gravitation drawn through the opening S into thecellar C. In its passage it follows the Wicks r r', which are held bythe finger-bar N, against thejournal A. Thejournal, when in motion, willtake up only such quantity as it may require, and the remainder willpass on to the cellar C, where it ywill be heldin store until thevolumein B B is exhausted, when, through the capillary power of theWicks, it will be returned to the journal till the supply is exhausted.The wicks lling the aperture S S act as a filter to the lubricant,preventing dust, grit, and other impurities from passing out of theoil-chambers to the journal. Likewise the impurities in the cellar Ccannot be drawn up, because of their specific gravity. The wick beingattached to the iinger-bar N, and extending the fulllength of thejourna1- bearing, and within the shoulders or flange of the journal,cannot by any lateral motions of ther cars be disarranged, but willsupply lubricant to the Whole length of the journal as long as thesupply lasts. Ihe nger-bars will yield to all abrupt motions of theAjournal, and through their elasticity at once return to place, thuskeeping the wicks always in posit-ion. The oil-chambers being in suchnear proximity to the journal-bearing, sufficient heat will be generatedby its friction to liquefy the lubricant in the coldest weather. In caseof destruction of the Wieke-by wear or accident, the same can readily bereplaced through element thereof, and a separate Yoil compart-V ment orcellar located intermediate said chambers and directly beneath thejournal, to receive the excess of lubricant, as and for the purposesdescribed. Y y

2. An axle-box having lateral oil-chambers B B', in combination withplate or iinger-bars N N', communicating with'the journal throughapertures S S.

IOO

IIO

3. In an ax1e-box,1atera1 oil-chambers B B', 5. In an axle -box, thesliding cap O O in combination with apertures S Sand ingerand lugs k andi, in combination with slots 1o bars N N, connected with a loweroil-cellar, H and p and catches c c', substantially as set C, by meansof material having capillarity, forth. 5 substantially as described.HENRY STILL.

4. In a. car-axle boX, the door P, in combi- Witnesses: nation withstop-rod a, ends a a, and loop G, A. MANIFOLD, as set forth. D. A.FREEMAN.

